The History of the Jacquard Loom

There was a time when tapestries could be afforded only by the kings and the emperors. They used to commission skilled professionals to weave details of their weddings and battles in tapestries. The craftsmen would use hi-warp looms which would take them about a year to create the masterpieces that their masters wanted.

The common folk and merchants, who could not afford tapestries, had to go for cloth blankets. However, with the invention of Jacquard loom, everything changed. Every common man could buy a tapestry to decorate his home.

The Invention of the Jacquard Loom

The man behind the invention of Jacquard Loom was Joseph-Marie Jacquard, who got into tapestry weaving right from the age of ten. The kind of numbing labor that tapestry weaving involved made him think about new ways to weave tapestries. He came up with a way with punch cards that could make intricate weaving of tapestries, possible.

The mechanized loom invented by Jacquard was an instant hit. Napoleon called it a public property way back in 1803. No longer did you have to take a second mortgage in order to afford a tapestry. People could afford beautiful tapestries with just about a week’s pay. It was the same materials and threads; but the labor hours were slashed.

Tapestry History

The main function of the earliest tapestries was to cover the doors and the windows and make those damp and drafty castles, comfortable and cozy. Artistic merit was not the main thing.

With time, displaying large tapestries that were woven using silver and gold threads became a status symbol. They became prized possessions. In cases of trouble they could always be rolled and carried away. The reservation of tapestries by the royalty came to an end with the invention of the Jacquard loom.

Buying Tapestries for decorating your home

Decorating homes is something all of us do; yet, we have our own budgets that we stick to. We have to choose, compare and then make our decisions. Same thing applies while buying tapestries too.

The best thing about tapestries is that they are durable and of course unbreakable, when compared to sculptures. They are large enough; but they do not appear gaudy.

You can choose from different textures and colors of tapestries without actually blowing your budget. You can pick out your own theme and choose how you want to use tapestries to decorate your home. You can create focal points in your space and set the mood in your room.

You can go for an intriguing Oriental Skirmish tapestry or choose one which is all red and black so as to define a serious workspace. With a Tibetan Mountain landscape, you can also bring in serenity in your space.

You can hang a tapestry with an English country scene right there on your massive couch. You can amaze your guests by putting up a lovely tapestry depicting a lively foxhunt. You could even go for non-pictorial hangings to decorate your walls and match them up with the rest of your space.

Thanks to Jacquard, the inventor of Jacquard loom, you can now impress and intrigue your guests by owning stunning pieces of art.